Room at the Top

Not as Bad as it May Seem

noreply@blogspirit.com (Tyler) — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 00:40:03 +0200

Beside all of the controversial issues and teaching issues, I find myself rather interested in the motif for this book, or in other words the author. I wonder what her views are on hope for young girls and her feelings of true friendship as the ending is rather depressing. Jenny’s information is very helpful as her blog contains Bathurst’s view on women and I love her idea that men and women both have their flaws, that women too can be the oppressors rather than the victims. In a website I found myself http://www.theblurb.com.au/Issue36/Special.htm a seemingly insignificant passage is discussed with Bathurst and she reveals her feelings about young women or female adolescence through it. The passage is the one in which Jules asks Ali to read them all a story, however all Ali has is a few fairytales and from past experience the reader immediately expects an outburst from the girls, a total rejection towards the book. However this does not happen, in fact Jules tells Ali to read the stories, a total surprise to all including myself. What Bathurst is saying is that while young girls live as if they are adults, they are still deep down innocent children simply trying too hard to grow up. Knowing this I no longer imagine Bella to be the crude pessimistic women I once thought she was, but simply someone who understands what it is like to be a teenager.

Needs More Than Controversy

noreply@blogspirit.com (Tyler) — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 22:52:13 +0200

After reading “Special” and acknowledging the truths and real life dilemmas that arise in the text I finally ask myself, would I teach this? The answer is no, not because of the controversial context, but because there seems to be no final conclusion to grasp, no central issue to revolve discussion around. Yes every character struggles with issues that are relevant today but high school students need answers, they need characters they not only can relate to but characters that show there is a way out, a chance for happy ending. As I look through Anne’s and Sarita’s blogs I see they agree, and without surprise for very similar reasons. I like the statement Sarita makes that ties in with my thinking of a solid conclusion, her idea that there must be some sort of redemption. Yes the book allows for issues to be brought up, but the teacher also needs some textual evidence to prove that there is hope, or in Sarita’s words that the classroom isn’t all doomed.
As I ponder my own interest in the story I realize my only draw to it was its shocking context. As wrong and twisted as that may seem it is true. So when I realize that I am shocked as I read the text as a sophomore in college who has seen and or dealt with these issues in real life I know without a doubt that a 9th grader in high school would be blown away by the context. I am never one for banning books, and am not necessarily saying this book should be banned, but I am saying that the only way a book of this caliber should be used if it has the ability to chance or help teenagers in their walk of life, and “Special” does not.

Hen and the Issue of Cutting

noreply@blogspirit.com (Tyler) — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:55:21 +0200

“She shoved it back into her skin again and again down and down, plunging at herself. The pain was immediate, a pure, straightforward kind of hurt. It felt right. It felt better.”

How could this feel right, how does anyone become so distorted that this kind of pain begins to feel right? For Hen it does as she repeatedly is cutting herself throughout the story, it is an escape for her, a way to cope with her low self-esteem. In a website I found http://observer.guardian.co.uk/focus/story/0,6903,718183,00.html the topic of cutting is discussed and the subject hits Hen’s case right on the nose. The page talks about the fact that many young teenage girls are cutting themselves, they are looking for some sort of escape as it explains, “Adolescents have always been known to self-harm, to attack their own bodies in a cry for help and as a sign of psychological disturbance. They may become anorexic or bulimic.” Every part of this quote describes Hen in a nutshell, so the question is how doe we fix a problem such as this one? Well that is a dilemma as it is often difficult to discover a teenager who is cutting their self. On another website I found http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/cutting.html there is a list of ways in which the cutter can get help, however that means the cutter must make the decision which often does not happen. The last advice for teachers, friends, and family is to keep a close eye on any teen that seems to be having troubles, maybe they are quiet or withdrawn, maybe seeming depressed or showing signs of an eating disorder. Another key indicator is clothing. Hen often wore clothing that covered her entire body as many cutters do, in order to cover their scars. So if a teenager is wearing winter-like clothing in early June there might be a problem. In any case it is important that friends and family do their best to keep adolescents form taking their inner-conflicts too far.

Not So Far From the Truth

noreply@blogspirit.com (Tyler) — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:06:35 +0200

One question comes to mind after I set my book down after each short read, do girls really act and think this way? If so then thank God I am a boy, the text simply goes to every length possible to make the life of female adolescence seem unbearable, unthinkable. We the readers are presented with numerous examples of the cruelty that young females practice not only on each other but also on their selves. Never once in the story is a character content with her appearance or social status, there is always more to be had, more ground to gain and it seems as if the only way to achieve this never accomplished goal is to destroy their peers lives or their own bodies. Hen’s eating disorder has grown to the point of seemingly no return. Jules’ strive to become a mirror image of Caz has allowed a life of constant jealousy to rule her every thought. Ali too is troubled by the demand to be perfect, as Izzy simply longs for a conversation.
After allowing the text to sink in I wonder, does this book frighten me in the way that it does because of its harsh language and unruly events, or because I know that there is incredible truth in what Bella Bathurst has written. I have known a girl that fits each one of the profiles listed above, there are thousands maybe millions of these girls struggling with these issues today and there are two sources to blame; you guessed it, the media and ourselves. What h come to expect of our young women today, well as I stare into my computer screen after rummaging through Google all I can see are images of women on magazines who obtain a beauty that many only dream about. Websites such as http://www.glamour.com/, www.seventeen.com/, and www.cosmogirl.com all contribute to the never ending push to look better; they all tell women that there is always something they can be doing to improve themselves. These women on the magazines have become a goal for most teenagers today, and because boys like Higgs, Yves, myself, and thousands others set standards based on these cover girls we fuel the flame of the never-ending war for women in society. They will do anything to become that girl that all the boys want. Whether it is starving their self such as Hen, or framing others such as Caz the goal is all that matters and according to this book the results can be disastrous. We need to stop setting these standards; we need to be content, caring, and king, both men and women because otherwise women will never stop living the lifestyle that they do.

How will I run my literature classroom?

noreply@blogspirit.com (Tyler) — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 06:36:40 +0200

As the time gap continues to expand between high school and college I become more aware of the fact that literature too many adolescents is nothing more than a waste of time, making the art of teaching English all the more challenging. During my high school days book reports were more of a break than a dilemma as reading and writing always came as second nature, but now I realize my love for literature is rare amongst teens, especially boys, and as I enter into the profession I need to ask myself, how am I going to make English appealing to as many students as possible?
Most importantly the literature and activities in the classroom must hold the attention of the students, which means the texts need to in some way be relatable. Simply reading typical high school books and writing five page reports on each will not due, but instead reading books that offer teens helpful insights into their own lives and formulating creative response opportunities will create an atmosphere of learning that is not forced but instead sought after.
Far too often teachers create a routine that becomes the death of any students love for reading, for example boring lectures during the reading and boring assignments afterwards. I’m not saying that I can’t have a routine, but rather make it flexible and different for every book; I need to use different activities so students enjoy coming to class each and everyday. Examples that we have used in class for example are great for this, such as the found poem, and use of different text that the author wrote to further the learning experience. Both these and many others bring variety into the classroom, and in my opinion will help information become more memorable in student’s minds when compared to lectures. Basically what needs to happen during the reading of text are activities that will help students best connect to the book. Active learning is essential, I feel as many others do that it is the best way to learn; I intend on basing much of my class on student interaction and input. Let the students voice their opinion, not only with me but with each other, I know some teachers fear the idea of group work but as long the students are able to stay on task their diverse opinions make for the best discussions and the best learning experiences, and again the key to keeping them on task in interesting books and interesting activities.
Post-reading activities again can be diverse, such as art work if the circumstance is appropriate, and of course essays or papers. Most importantly in this case is I cannot be closed to different forms of responses as long as the students are dedicated to them, in other words as long as the different activity isn’t a solution to slack. Essays of course will be dominant in the response area, and these again cannot just target the basics, I need to allow for creative writing, maybe a written interview with the author, a fictional one of course, or something such as the addition of a scene or letter a character may have written, something to show the student really understood the book.
After looking on Jenny’s blog I too became interested in Nancie Atwell because of her ideas for a writing workshop, and researched other areas that might provide information about effective workshops:
http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/hswriting/workshops/workshop1/
http://www.learner.org/resources/series194.html
The first website is the better of the two as it offers steps for creating an effective workshop for high school English teachers and then offers sample workshops for teachers to experiment with. The second is more of a workshop for the teacher as it basically offers advice for teaching writing and literature. After researching into these websites and evaluating my high school experience I am confident that as long as I am committed to providing and allowing variety

Technology and Teaching Fair

noreply@blogspirit.com (Tyler) — Sun, 26 Mar 2006 20:46:29 +0200

As a whole I found Grand Valley professors and miscellaneous staff members are advancing rapidly in the technology world as they are in search of an advanced and organized library as well as classroom strategies that prove to be the most effective for their students. While each booth presented different solutions to advance Grand Valley in the technology world there seemed to be a similarity amongst all of the presenters. Each professional voiced the fact that their objective was to simply make learning and researching easier for their students, as well as make learning interactive between both professor and student and student to student.
First is Sean Lancaster, professor of Ed 205 and recipient of the Pew Teaching with Technology award. As a former student of Sean’s I can easily understand how his strategies and ideas were recognized as his desire to stray from blackboard and into other online resources were quite effective. Sean’s primary online tool is his website that is used in place of blackboard and allows students the ability to take Ed 205 from their computer in their home. On the website I noticed three key groups in which students could access any information they needed to succeed in the class. The first was general info where the syllabus was available, as well as the class list in case a student needed to contact another student. Other information was available as well, but the most important information is found in the second and third groups. In the second group key links were available for any help from other online sources, as well as a list if key dates in which projects were due on. The students could easily access information to each project as well by simply clicking on the name and there a step-by-step process was available to walk each student through the project. In the third column the weekly lessons are listed. Here the students could click on the current week and information becomes available in which Sean has a detailed list for each student to follow in order to complete the necessary tasks for each week. This included a: project or lab, readings, and classroom discussions. Each week the student was to participate in at least four discussions where Sean would post a question or to topic and the students would respond to him and to each other. Finally at the end of each week Sean would send out an evaluation to remain updated in his own effectiveness and learn what he should continue to do and what he should fix. Overall Sean’s online learning experience challenges students in a way that prepares them for the never ending advance in technology education.
Secondly is Shelley Schurman who is a professor in social work. Shelley has targeted the downfalls of journals which are necessary in the teaching strategy of social work education and has replaced traditional handwritten journals with e-journals, or electronic journals. Some dilemmas Shelley has encountered when dealing with hand-written journals are: unclear handwriting, time management, and the absence of the journal needs to be collected and graded by the instructor. E-journals fix these problems by allowing student-faculty contact, which means students who are shy in class are more reluctant to voice their opinion when typing it on a computer. Also the online journals allow for active learning, prompt feedback, time on task, high expectations, respect for diverse talents and ways of learning, and reciprocity and cooperation amongst students. Most importantly is the fact that students can interact with each other in a most effective way as again they feel conferrable to open up and truly say what is on their mind due to the fact that they don’t have to do it in person.
Next is the interactive power point, a new device that seemingly has caught the eye of many professors. What I like most is the mission statement that Easy Graphicscore, the creator of Turning Point, has placed on the front page of their brochure. It says, “Turning: Attendance into involvement, participation into assessment, and potential into success.” The tool instantly becomes all the more appealing as professors are told that their classrooms can be a haven for all three of those earlier statements as Turning point requires students to actively participate in each session. The hand held device is used by each student as a type of remote. The professor presents a PowerPoint presentation that obtains questions, surveys, opinion polls and complex problems. After each one of these questions or problems the class voices their opinion via remote and instant results are displayed on the screen. The requirement to participate forces the students to follow along and listen in class, and while a few problems might occur, such as cost, large university classes can now have a way to include each student.
Finally is ebrary, an online resource for books that allow students to research and read without having to leave their home or dorm. Ebrary can be accessed through the GVSU library page online from any computer as long as the user has a username and password, and once you arrive your research begins. First you need to indicate the fact that you are searching for an e-book, following that you type in the category in which you are searching for i.e. (war, business). A list is formulated that includes all the books in your category search, and remember due to the fact that you requested that they all be e-books the list of books can all be read online. Once you select your book of choice the table of contents is pulled up. Here you can read through the book, select a chapter, or advance even further in your search. The program allows the reader to again type in a category or key word, and the program sorts through the book and pulls all sections out that include your desired topic and the chapters and page numbers they are on. Because of the fact that the user is allowed to pinpoint their desired information research time is drastically reduced and students don’t need to bother with endless searching and page flipping.
While there were numerous booths that I haven’t commented on all seemed to have an interesting and helpful idea that will improve student learning and involvement. Now it is up to other professors and students to put these ideas into action and improve their own classroom experience.

What Literature should adolescents read?

noreply@blogspirit.com (Tyler) — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 16:16:30 +0100

What Literature should adolescents read?

Without a doubt I feel that adolescents need to be indulged in literature that not only deals with issues they struggle with, but issues that are often viewed as controversial. Today many YA novels are challenged and many are banned because of inappropriate material, but what the naïve people who challenge these books need to realize is that the inappropriate material in the novel is found everyday in the hallways, it is simply unavoidable. The best way for teens to deal with issues such as drugs, sex, and partying is to be educated about them, and besides the obvious resources such as parents, literature is a key source that puts characters in realistic situations in which the reader can identify with. For example my YA group just finished The Outsiders, a book that deals with gangs, murder, and drugs and alcohol. While exposure to these issues may seem detrimental to our youth, they are bound to deal with them someday, so in order for teens to make the right decision when need be they with have the proper information to make the right decision because of an experience that a character they read about might have had.
On the website www.ala.org a list of the most frequently challenged books is given, and after looking into a few of these books the reasons were very similar to the three I listed earlier along with the addition of profanity and the issue of death or murder. For example the book that topped the chart was “The Chocolate War” and the reasoning was because of sexual content, offensive language, religious viewpoints, and violence. The problem that I find here is that I dealt with every one of these issues by the 9th grade, and the problem was I had never had to deal with anything like that before so I was totally clueless when confronted by different people and the issues they brought with them. If I simply had been exposed to books such as “The Chocolate War” then I would have made better decisions when confronted by these people, but because so many books that dealt with these issues were banned I knew so little.
Another book that was mentioned was “Go Ask Alice,” which is very similar to another book that I have read entitled “Jay’s Journal.” Both stories involve teens who spiral into a pit of drugs, promiscuous sex, and in Jay’s case Satan worship. Now these books are definitely risky and contain material that teens shouldn’t be dealing with, but once again we need to be realistic. There is no sense in fighting a cause that will always be around, but instead we should try and work with the students and show the aftermath of their decisions with these books before it is too late. Sure the books both are dark and deep, rather disturbing really, but in every town across America there are students experiencing the same problems that Alice and Jay experienced, we need to find ways to reach them. Throwing them the typical 8th and 9th grade books is worthless, the students will fail to connect to any character, lose interest considering they ever had interest, and eventually stop reading altogether. We need to keep literature that is interesting and helpful to students in their hands; I can not state enough that we simply need to be realistic.